


Shades of Truth

by turps



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance, Panic At The Disco
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-19
Updated: 2010-06-19
Packaged: 2017-10-10 04:45:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/95624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turps/pseuds/turps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With war rumbling Pete needs to create an alliance. Who better than Mikey and Ryan?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shades of Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the fake dating prompt at the getmikeylaid comm on Dream Width.
> 
> Thanks go to Sperrywink and Crowgirl13 for the read over and excellent beta. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

Mikey steps onto the beach as the air shimmers around him, one universe bleeding into the next.

He stumbles slightly, thrown off balance by the heavy pack on his back and the sand that shifts under his feet. He blinks, clearing his vision. Close by, Frank's sitting with his gun in his lap and an arm around Gerard. Gerard's eyes are swollen and red, they always are when he's here.

"I saw Matt," Mikey says. He coughs, the smoke catching his throat.

Gerard touches a smudge of black face-paint, his fingers against Mikey's wrist. "He wasn't the only one you saw."

Mikey looks down, at the mark that starts from under his sleeve. He shrugs and folds himself down to the ground. "Maybe."

Frank grins and pointedly examines Mikey's neck. "No vamp bites, I'm surprised."

"I'm not at _Candles_ that much," Mikey says. He stretches out his leg, toes against Gerard's. "Where's Ray?"

Gerard looks toward the on-going battle, says, "Watching."

Remembered pain flares, sudden and bright. Mikey pushes it away and rolls onto his knees. Close-by he can see himself dying, Ray crouched above him, Gerard straining forward. Those faded figures flicker, ghosts of a past. They're watched over by Ray, bloody rags clutched to his chest.

"I hate it here," Frank says. He wipes a tear from Gerard's cheek and looks past the battle. "Bob needs to hurry the fuck back."

In the distance Gerard screams.

~*~*~*~

"We've got a problem." Pete's talking as he appears. He sidesteps a clown and takes a seat in an empty pew. He looks tired, the black make-up around his mouth is smeared.

Ryan stands in the aisle, shivering at the clammy feeling as the bride's veil slips through his ankles. "Shall I get the others? They're talking to Brent."

"Not yet." Pete tugs at the collar around his neck, trying to flatten it down as he mutters, "I should have gone to _Sugar_ first." He stops messing with the collar, adds, "I need to talk to you." Suddenly Pete stands and grabs Ryan's arm. They head for outside. It's quiet there, but that'll change within seconds and Pete heads for a spot to the side of the house. "There's a threat of war."

It's not news. Ryan's heard of snakes being found by GaGa, how the goth rock worlds had been daubed by pink paint. "I've heard a few things."

Pete starts to pace. "We've hushed up more. Someone planted a device that allowed a bleed-through of sound between country and thrash. There was nearly a riot. We need to strengthen our territories before it gets out of hand."

Ryan frowns. "The Decaydance circuit isn't enough?"

"No," Pete says and he finally stops pacing. "We need alliances, strong ones."

It makes sense, but Ryan still doesn't see how he fits in. He pushes his hair out of his eyes and listens to the sound of people running outside. The gasp of the newly caught bride. "You've something in mind?"

Pete scrubs his foot in the dirt. "My Chem, specifically one of us in a public relationship with Mikey. With his connections, we're gold."

"You're making it official," Ryan says, but Pete shakes his head, his lips pressed together.

"That's too obvious a statement." Pete crosses his arms over his chest and looks directly at Ryan. "It has to be you. Mikey agrees."

Ryan's mouth opens. He doesn't even know Mikey, not really. But he wants to.

He says yes.

~*~*~*~

 

Mikey waits at the barrier and tries to stay calm. He's hot in his wool uniform, the medal on his chest glinting as it catches the light. Behind him confetti and smoke fills the air, while airships circle the city. The others are back in the crowd, close enough to watch, but Mikey has to do this alone.

The barrier ripples, reality warping as Ryan steps into view. He's wearing a white suit and his hair is mussed, an almost complete contrast to Mikey in his black and white and sharp lines. When he sees Mikey Ryan's eyes widen slightly, apprehension bleeding through before his defences abruptly descend. "Mikey."

Mikey wants to reassure, to explain, but the parade's poised to go and he doesn't want to wait for the next rotation. "We need to hurry."

Ryan's hand is warm, his fingers long. Mikey tightens his grip and pulls, hurrying for the float. They pass Mother War, see The Patient shuffling forward. Mikey begins to run.

They reach the float and Mikey scrambles aboard, grabbing hold of decorations that crumple under his hands. Behind him Gerard flickers as he grabs his microphone, chin tilted and pose defiant. Ryan climbs aboard too, drops to his knees before twisting around so they're sitting close. Their legs hang over the end of the float, half concealed in the streamers.

They begin to move. Mikey searches the crowd and see his brother. Gerard looks worried, is whispering to Bob as they walk. Further back Mikey catches a glimpse of a cowboy hat, a little further a group of five boybanders clustered together. Interlopers from other genres, gathering information that they'll record and take back.

"Is that..." Ryan starts to say, Mikey squeezes his hand.

"Ignore them. They're seeing what we need." Mikey moves in closer to Ryan, presses a kiss to his mouth. "Okay?"

Ryan nods.

Behind them Bob's drumming reaches a crescendo as Frank spins, Ray shreds and Gerard preens.

 

~*~*~*~

 

"I don't understand." Spencer pulls back his feet when a girl walks past, a shovel in her hand, the grass and trees showing through her faded and flickering figure. "Why you?"

Ryan tugs at his tie, loosening it slightly. He looks at Spencer who's sitting on Jon's amp, pointedly waiting. The problem is, Ryan doesn't have an answer to the question. He admits. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Spencer frowns and pushes himself to his feet. "You're going to date Mikey and you don't know why? That's insane, Ryan. You don't even know him."

"We're not _dating_ dating," Ryan says. It's an important distinction and he stands his ground as Spencer walks close. "I told you, Decaydance need to be seen in alliance with My Chem."

"But why _you_?" Spencer's close to Ryan now, and they face one another over the short distance. "I get the alliance, but why doesn't Pete make a play for Gerard? Hell, why doesn't he come clean about dating Mikey?"

Ryan looks directly back at Spencer as he says, "It has to be a subtle alliance, Pete being seen with anyone is..."

"Bullshit," Spencer says, his frown fading as he reaches out for Ryan. "You're dating someone who doesn't even know you. That's bullshit. You're more than part of an alliance and being Pete's fucking beard."

"I like Mikey." Ryan looks past Spencer to where Jon and Brendon are lying sprawled on their backs, grass in their hair and the shadow from Spencer's drums stretching behind them. "It'll be okay."

Spencer elbows Ryan in the side, hard. "It better, or we'll be living with Britney after I beat up Pete."

Ryan grins. "I could rock a red rubber catsuit."

He yelps at Spencer's tackle, and together, they tumble to the ground. Dry grass scratches at Ryan's face and Spencer lies half on top of him, heavy and familiar.

Ryan lies still and drinks it all in.

 

~*~*~*~

 

"Nice setting for a second date," Bob says. He's twisting his drumsticks in his hand and making no attempt to hide his amusement as Mikey attempts to tuck in his shirt. "What are you going to do, kiss him behind the bike-sheds?"

Mikey pushes his glasses back up his nose. "I might."

Gerard stops writing, his pen poised over his book, the page almost filled. "You should take him dancing in the library."

"I'd pay to see that," Frank says. He's sitting on a desk and swinging his legs, his tie hanging undone. "Just don't do any grinding, you're both so fucking skinny you'll start a fire."

"If Mikey and Ryan have sex here does that mean Mikey's a boy-toy?" Ray says, "What with the whole school uniform thing?"

Gerard shakes his head. "School uniforms are a well-known fetish."

"Are you saying Ryan's going to get turned on seeing Mikey dressed up?" Frank hits the ground with a thump as he slides off the desk. "Are you going to make him horny, Mikey? Seduce him in the bathroom and bind his arms with your tie?"

Mikey grabs hold of Frank's ear, and twists it, hard. "No. Now go and piss in some lockers and leave us alone."

"I see how it is, you want to be alone to get up to depraved and perverted things." Frank puts his hands over Gerard's ears. "Don't listen, Mikey's being a slut."

"Mikey's going." Dodging past Frank and Gerard, Mikey lets the door close behind him. Weaving around the ghostly students, he heads outside, and finds Ryan already waiting, standing at the bottom of the stone steps. He's watching the doorway and is wearing a striped blazer, a scarf wrapped around his neck. Mikey smiles. "Like the outfit."

"I didn't think it was your style," Ryan says, but he seems pleased as he runs his hand over the scarf. "It fits back in _Green_, not so much here."

Mikey indicates his own clothes. "Not much does, unless you're into school uniforms or furries."

"I like it." Ryan dips his head, his rounded cheeks betraying his smile. "And the interesting hairstyle."

"Like you've room to talk, bowl-cut boy." Mikey doesn't even try to hide his grin, enjoying Ryan's look of indignation. "Do you know how to play croquet?"

Momentarily Ryan seems thrown by the abrupt change in subject. "You mean here? I thought we had to be seen? For the alliance."

"We'll be seen," Mikey says, as always aware of the interlopers that lurk in the shadows. He starts to walk forward. "Pete's pleased. People think that we're dating."

"Good." Ryan clears his throat and says quietly. "Isn't it hard? To publicly date me when you've got Pete?"

It takes Mikey a few moments to put things together. "We're not dating. Me and Pete."

"Oh."

It's all Ryan says and Mikey stays silent too, the silence stretching as they walk. They stop on the grass, sitting on the sloping bank. "We used to date, but not now. He's one of my best friends, nothing more."

Ryan leans back on his elbows. "So I'm not a beard?"

"No, just someone Pete thought I'd like," Mikey says, remembering Pete's impassioned speeches about Ryan. He lies back, grass tickling his cheek as he listens to the tap of balls against mallets.

"And?" Ryan's still looking away, but Mikey can hear the depth of the question. "Was he right?"

Mikey turns on his side, taking in Ryan's scarf and stupid shoes and ridiculous bowl-cut hair. The way he's slightly awkward and threw himself into an unknown situation without question. He's no one Mikey would ever have seen on his own. Now he doesn't want to ever look away. Reminding himself to thank Pete later, Mikey says, "Yeah, he was right."

 

~*~*~*~

"All you did was play croquet? Do you even know how to play croquet?"

Ryan looks up to where Brendon's sitting in a tree, straddling a branch. "I suck at croquet, but so does Mikey." Ryan's knee twinges and he admits. "I hit myself on the knee with the mallet."

Behind him, Spencer and Jon laugh, but all Brendon does is nod before jumping from the tree, his cape fluttering behind him. "At least you didn't hit yourself in the face."

Ryan pulls at the bandages that drape around his hips. "I need to go change, I can't go out wearing this."

"Leave it." Jon's mouth curls up as he says. "The Ways like freaky shit. He'll probably think it's a turn on."

"Way," Ryan says over his shoulder. "There's only Mikey."

"That's not what you used to say, back when you made me sneak into _Vampires_."

Ryan can't see Spencer's face, but he knows that he's smiling. Can tell by the way his words are warm and laced with humour. "I'll see you idiots later."

Reality begins to warp as Ryan thinks of _Northern_, the last thing he hears Spencer's 'be careful.'

Changing so rapidly isn't something Ryan does often. By the time he's leaving _Northern_ for _Desolation_ his skin is tingling and he wavers as he steps onto hard flooring, the world tilting around him.

"You okay?" Mikey steps forward, reaching for Ryan.

Ryan breathes deep, rapidly feeling better but making no attempt to shrug off Mikey's hold. "Fine, just world surfed too fast."

"Frank did all of ours in a minute once, when he finished he puked on Bob's shoes." Mikey keeps holding on, his hand warm around Ryan's arm. "I was going to take you to _Mmrs_, but if you're not feeling good..."

"I'm fine, honest." Ryan looks over Mikey's leather jacket and the chain wrapped around his neck, and then down at his own pristine suit. "I'm over-dressed."

Mikey starts to walk forward, sliding down his hand until he's gripping Ryan's. "You look fine."

For the third time in minutes Ryan's world blurs, colours streaming around him and reforming into a large sound stage, Pete hurrying toward them.

"Smokin' hot Mikey and Ryan." Pete scrubs his hand through Mikey's hair, making it stick up in wet clumps. "Come and see my monkeys, they've got bananas."

"Does that line even work?" Ryan asks, stepping to one side when Pete worms himself into the middle.

"My lines always work." Pete cranes his head, smiling as he looks between Mikey and Ryan. "Ask Mikey."

Mikey rolls his eyes. "Your lines suck."

"But they work," Pete says, his grin widening. "Over here."

They end up close to the stage, a ghostly Pete raging as he slams his mic stand to the ground. Ryan steps back, jumping despite himself when a giant B crashes forward.

Pete watches himself, never looking away. "I look insane."

"You are insane," Mikey says, his mouth quirked into a small smile. "But reign in the self love, you wanted to see us."

"Yeah." Any hint of a smile is gone as Pete switches to deadly serious. "The word's out about the alliance. Between Decaydance and My Chem, we're ruling this section."

Mikey gives Pete a long look. "You could have told us that any time, not summoned us here."

"True." Pete's smile reappears and he stretches up, draping his arms over Mikey and Ryan's shoulders. "But then I wouldn't have got to see my favourite new couple."

"You're not going to see us now." Mikey dips his shoulder and wiggles out from under Pete. "We're going to go eat, and not bananas."

Following Mikey's example, Ryan wiggles free, too.

"What did I tell you? I knew you'd get along." Left alone, Pete's standing on the stage, toes hanging over the edge and looking smug. "When you get married, I'd better be best man."

"You can be a bridesmaid," Mikey says.

Or flower-girl," Ryan adds, and holds up his hand, smacking it together with Mikey's. Behind them, Pete laughs.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Mikey's clothes have changed, leather changed for sodden fabric. He can feel his bangs against his forehead and rain against his face, grief a lingering pang.

Ryan looks from the coffin to Mikey and takes off his hat, already drenched through. "You brought me to Helena. When I'm wearing my pyjamas."

"She'd have liked them." They follow the coffin, the pallbearers solemn and faded, their footsteps hitting in unison on the stone steps. "I wanted to talk."

Mikey slips into the last pew, ignoring Gerard, the wall visible through him as he stands in the pulpit, arms raised and urging the congregation to stand.

Ryan sits too, staring forward, not touching Mikey at all. "It's a metaphor, the whole funeral thing. You're saying it's over now the alliance is steady."

"No." Mikey turns slightly, his knee against Ryan's. "I brought you here because I like it here."

"You like funerals?"

"Parts of them, and this one's personal," Mikey says, searching for words as, up front, the dancers writhe on the floor. "Pete was right, you are fantastic."

"He usually is."

Ryan's still staring to the front of the church, his expression set and pyjamas clinging to his body. Mikey patiently waits, until Ryan relaxes, shifting his way. Taking the opportunity Mikey slides forward in the pew, twisting around so he can press a kiss to the side of Ryan's mouth. "Fuck fake dating, I want this for real."

Ryan turns his head, his mouth close to Mikey's. "Does that involve seducing me in church?"

Mikey kisses Ryan again, says, "Yes."

"In that case," Ryan says, "I'm in, and if you play your cards right, I'll show you my bedroom." Ryan pulls back slightly, looking directly at Mikey. "I've got a big clock."

Blindly, Mikey gropes to the side of Ryan, finding his hat by the water-logged feather. Picking it up he puts the hat on Ryan's head, says, "Let's go."

They do.

**Author's Note:**

> Settings Video list
> 
> [The Ghost of You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCUpvTMis-Y) \-- My Chemical Romance  
> [I Write Sins Not Tragedies](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc6vs-l5dkc) \-- Panic at the Disco  
> [Welcome to the Black Parade](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDWgsQhbaqU) \-- My Chemical Romance  
> [Northern Downpour](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zouSojyIi94) \- Panic at the Disco  
> [That Green Gentleman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3K2sEHuIM) \-- Panic at the Disco  
> [I'm Not Okay (I Promise) -- My Chemical Romance  
> ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZudX66IBat8)[It's Almost Halloween](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iTFnNU3AYg) \-- Panic at the Disco  
> [Thnks Fr Th Mmrs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onzL0EM1pKY) \-- Fall Out Boy  
> [Helena](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSNKCfxcYvE) \-- My Chemical Romance
> 
>  
> 
> Mentioned Videos/Outfits from videos
> 
> [A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew6x6sHiFaw) \-- Fall Out Boy  
> [American Suitehearts](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzddyeXvbSE) \-- Fall Out Boy  
> [Sugar, We're Going Down](http://www.youtube.com/user/falloutboy?blend=1&ob=4#p/f/20/uhG-vLZrb-g) \--Fall Out Boy  
> [Vampires Will Never Hurt You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOJZrRCNRsg) \-- My Chemical Romance  
> [Desolation Row](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOuSxal8pf4) \-- My Chemical Romance  
> [Nine in the Afternoon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCto3PCn8wo) \-- Panic at the Disco


End file.
